It’s easy to go on family outings –a bike ride, a hike or a field trip.  But what if you could make those activities   super-duper fun? Recently we had the opportunity to turn my husband and son’s after-dinner stroll into a BIG ADVENTURE.

The idea started by reading a chapter of Tara Delaney’s new book 101 Games and Activities for Children with Autism, Asperger’s and Sensory Processing Disorders.  The chapter was called Walks ‘N Talks, and it showed us how to soup-up our evening walk by turning it into a treasure hunt.  It was easy. I simply put together a list of  easy -to-find, yet differently-textured items–something green, something soft, something crunchy.  Then I asked my guys to carry the camera with them and take a digital photo of something ‘alive.’  I also asked that my husband and son take turns walking ahead, behind and next to each other.  The walk was a huge success, and my husband and son arrived home beaming with their ‘mission’ accomplished, and a much more interactive journey…with each other.

So, if you are looking for fun things to do with your child, or  enjoyable ways to work on language and motor skills, then enjoy 101 Games and Activities.   Tara Delaney, the author, is a certified occupational therapist, is a strong proponent of educational play.   The book includes ideas for games and activities designed to help children apply meaning to play situations. Other examples include ’same-color meals’ to help encourage new food trials, Laundry Fun for cognitive processing and other skills, and instructions for how to adapt brand-name games like Hasbro’s Whac-A-Mole  to encourage more visual-motor control with less sensory frustration.

The games and activities are designed to be easy and inexpensive to implement. Each activity includes materials needed, instructions and the skill objectives for that particular activity. The games help children make eye contact, improve attention and strengthen his or her motor skills; associate words with objects and improve language and numerical skills; and learn social skills needed for attending preschool and school, including how to interact with others and take turns.

Specific areas covered include: Sensory Development; Gross Motor Skills; Fine Motor Skills; Communication; Social Sense; School Readiness; Home Activities; Outdoor Activities; How to Adapt Brand-Name Games

Tara Delaney, M. S. , OTR, is the Executive Director of Steps Therapy, Inc., specializing in sensory integration, autism, ADHD, and learning disabilities, as well as social skills development. 101 Games and Activities for Children with Autism, Asperger’s and Sensory Processing Disorders is published by McGraw-Hill in paperback and lists for $16.95.  It can also be purchased through Amazon.com and  other booksellers.

A note from Mae: I love this book!  Our parent educator would provide us with a number of helpful developmental activities and educational play ideas, but those stopped after our son began pre-school. These games help us continue our educational play in bite-sized, fun, effective and easy-to-do segments.

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 30th, 2009 at 3:03 pm and is filed under Family Fun, Stuff that Works. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.